Video of Outputting scaled PDF drawings of small point clouds in SketchUp

Point Cloud Importers

A series of SketchUp Importers for importing small point cloud files (< 1GB) in *.ptx, *.pts, *.xyz, *.svy, and *.txt formats. Point coordinates are imported as a group of SketchUp construction points which can then be used to assist with the modeling process.

This extension adds the following functionality to the Import menu:

Text - PTX Format (*.ptx)

Text - PTS Format (*.pts)

Text - SURVEY Format (*.svy)

Text - TXT Format (*.txt)

Text - XYZ Format (*.xyz)

Import Options include:

- Import Units

- Decimation

- Set Point Color

- PTS File Structure (xyziRGB | xyzi | xyzRGB)

- Layer Assignment

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Point cloud files can be extremely large, often well over 1GB, and can contain millions or billions of points. This extension is not capable of processing such large data sets. The extension supports import of up to 1,000,000 points per import, and file sizes must be less than 1GB. Import times vary depending on file type and size.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

It is recommended that imported point clouds contain < 100,000 points to ensure reasonable import times and minimal impact on model performance. By default, point clouds will be decimated to approximately 25,000 points, however, this setting can be changed under Import Options.

For increased productivity, the Importers can be used in conjunction with other point cloud software that will allow users to 'break up' larger, more complex datasets into smaller and more manageable pieces.

Working with smaller, decimated point cloud fragments in SketchUp helps to maintain good overall model performance and allows the modeller to focus on the development of one particular component or element at a time.

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I have purchased the Point Cloud Importers yesterday.
My credit card billing shows that the payment was done.
I did not receive the confirmation email.
How can I install the extension without the file or without a link?

Several people have experienced problems purchasing an extension license. I believe that you must be registered and signed into a Trimble account in order to purchase extensions from Extension Warehouse.

Hi, I export the point cloud from recap and import to Sketchup. Looks like the color information is lost (All point cloud shown in red) and the point cloud shape is arbitrary. Any comment is appreciate.

Hi Zhexiong - As noted under Extension Limitations above, RGB color values are not supported. All points are imported as Sketchup construction points and are therefore colored based on the user-specified 'guides' color under the Edit tab of the Styles menu. PTS files containing RGB values (in XYZiRGB format) can be imported, however the intensity value and RGB color values are ignored as there is no way to apply individual colors to construction points using the Sketchup API.

Zhexiong - this would explain why your points are importing in 'arbitrary' locations. See "Extensions > Point Cloud Importers > File Structure Requirements..." for examples of importable data structures. If you send me a very small sample file (< 10MB) in the format that you are trying to import, I will try to build into the next release of the plugin. Also curious to know what software you are using to generate the XYZRGB data. Thanks,

Hi Zhexiong - I have added support for xyzRGB (.pts) file structure in version 2.1.0. Just ensure that your files contain a header line (indicating the total number of points in the file), and that you select 'xyzRGB' in the import options menu.

Hi Charlton, I pause the project for months and now I am back. Just tried your 2.2.0 version and select the 'xyzRGB' in option and found the geo-location of my point cloud (xyzRGB pts file) is correct, but still cannot show the color. Anything I did wrong or missed? Thanks.

Hi Zhexiong - I have added support for xyzRGB (.pts) file structure in version 2.1.0. Just ensure that your files contain a header line (indicating the total number of points in the file), and that you select 'xyzRGB' in the import options menu.

Q: How can I use Point Cloud Importers to work with larger datasets?
A: Try using this workflow...

1. Import (index) your large point cloud dataset into Autodesk ReCap
NOTE: You may consider 'Decimating' your point cloud upon import in order to reduce the overall point count / file size
- The data will be converted into *.rcp format

2. Using ReCap
- Clean up and 'Delete' any extraneous data or noise
- Create small 'Scan Regions' of each area or component that you wish to model in SketchUp (ie: a small set of windows, doors, walls, roofs, etc.)
- Once you have created all of your 'Scan Regions', turn off visibility of all scan regions except for the one that you would like to import into SketchUp
- 'Export' the scan region to *.pts format

3. Using SketchUp and Point Cloud Importers
- Import *.pts file of scan region
- Use 'Decimation' settings under Import Options if necessary due to point count or file size
NOTE: So long as you do not move the imported point cloud within SketchUp, each region will be imported into the same coordinate system
- Once modeling of a particular scan region is complete, you can either:
> Delete the group of points
> Copy/Paste In Place the group of points into another SketchUp file for later use (this avoids having to re-import)
> Assign the group of points to a separate layer so that you can control visibility, thereby maintaining model performance

NOTE: As long as points are not moved after import, they can easily be transferred into separate SketchUp *.skp files using 'Copy' and 'Paste In Place'. This can be very useful when trying to break up/organize/manage larger datasets.

Although this may seem like a round about way of working with large point clouds, it can actually help with the modeling process as it allows the modeler to disregard extraneous data and to focus on the development of one small area or component at a time.